Under Armour, Southampton announce seven-year kit sponsorship deal

Under Armour announced a seven-year equipment partnership with English Premier League side Southampton FC on Thursday morning, adding another big name to the Maryland-based apparel giant’s growing stable of soccer sponsorships.

Originally reported by SoccerWire.com in November, the Southampton deal will see all Saints teams in UA gear until at least 2023, starting with the 2016/17 campaign that kicks off in August. English media outlets had previously reported that the partnership will pay Southampton some $11 million per year, a figure slightly less than the one attached to Under Armour’s arrangement with Tottenham Hotspur, their first entry into the EPL.

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“Under Armour shares similar values to us in that they achieve success through a combination of hard-work and strategic thinking,” said Ralph Krueger, Southampton’s Canadian-born chairman, in a press release. “At Southampton, our determination to succeed is accompanied by a commitment to develop athletes as people, and this partnership reflects this. Our challenge now is to retain our ‘underdog’ mentality whilst entering a sustained period of success.”

After building its brand primarily in other sports, UA has made soccer a priority in recent years, outfitting an increasing number of individual players like U.S. stars Jermaine Jones and Kelley O’Hara as well as team deals like the one recently announced with the NASL’s New York Cosmos. The company recently passed adidas to become the No. 2 U.S. sports brand (behind only Nike) in terms of sales, with annual revenue approaching $4 billion.

For Southampton, the UA deal marks another turn towards the North American market, where they’ve announced plans to offer training and instruction to youth coaches and players. The Saints operate one of the most respected academy systems in Europe, producing talents like Alan Shearer, Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale over the years.

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Both parties sought to distinguish Thursday’s announcement from the typical public-relations rollout by listing “six key pledges” that Southampton FC and Under Armour plan to deliver together:

* Relentlessly innovate and create revolutionary product enabling our first team to perform at the highest level.

* Continue to develop the next generation of academy talent and empower them with over 5,000 pairs of cutting-edge footwear over the next seven years.

* Work with the Saints Foundation and kit out more than 5,000 children in the local community.

* Develop the women’s and girls’ game through our shared expertise and knowledge.

* Realize our global ambitions by spreading the benefits of sport and healthy living through technology and activations.

* Together we commit to having fans and innovation at the heart of everything we do.

“Southampton FC, like Under Armour, is ‘Humble and Hungry.‘ They are an institution with strong core values based on a pioneering attitude,” said Peter Murray, Under Armour’s VP of Global Sports Marketing. “The club’s commitment to developing and improving players at every level continues to set a benchmark in the sport. We look forward to providing game-changing technologies and product innovations to further support the club’s on pitch performance.”